Kansas head coach Bill Self expressed some unease after cramping forced star guard Darryn Peterson out for most of the second half in the Jayhawks' 81-69 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
"It's a concern," Self said postgame, per ESPN. "I thought we were past it, but obviously we're not.
"You get into the NCAA Tournament, you're playing a team just as good as you, and you need to have all your best players available, so to speak. All it takes is for one day like that to derail not only a game, but a season. It's concerning, but I do think we're making progress with it."
Peterson shot 6-of-10 from distance Wednesday as part of a game-high 23 points. However, the standout freshman checked out of the contest for good just three minutes into the second half with Kansas leading by 10.
Although Oklahoma State never got any closer, Self lamented what he saw as a missed opportunity for Peterson.
"I didn't anticipate that tonight at all," Self said, according to Henry Greenstein of the Lawrence Journal-World. "I thought he was good to go. But we only got 18 minutes out of him. That's disappointing because he could have had a really good night."
This isn't the first time cramping has affected Peterson. The 19-year-old played just 20 minutes in the Jayhawks' 90-82 win over BYU on Jan. 31, after which Self cited cramps as the reason behind Peterson's exit. The first-year guard left both matchups at similar points, departing against the Cougars with 16:46 left and subbing out Wednesday with 17:22 remaining.
Hamstring and ankle issues have also limited Peterson this campaign, with a hamstring strain sidelining the Kansas star for seven games in November.
Despite the injuries, Peterson is still widely projected as a top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The Ohio native is averaging a team-high 20 points while shooting 48.5%, including 43.1% on threes, through 15 starts.
